Hillary_Tail of the Dog (15 page)

“Really?” Dr. Morrison asked sarcastically.

“Yes, really,” Hillary replied snidely, the smile leaving her face as she looked at him. She quickly shifted her eyes back to Dr. Bentley, smiled, and added, “I trust
you
.” Her emphasis made it clear that she didn’t trust Dr. Morrison at all.

“I appreciate that,” he replied, smiling back. “The hypnosis will work much better with your cooperation.”

He walked around to the side of the bed where the IV equipment, rolling table and chair was. He did not sit. Dr. Morrison lingered by the doorway.

“When can we get started?” she asked, feigning excitement.

“Dr. Morrison is going to check your vitals and make sure that you’re physically well enough first.”

“I’m fine,” she said, her smile dissipating. “Can’t you check my vitals and stuff instead?”

“I’ll be right here,” he reassured her.

“I don’t see why you have such a problem with me,” Dr. Morrison interjected, stepping forward to the opposite side of the bed.

Hillary turned her head to face him.

“Why do you have that needle?” she shifted her eyes to the syringe as she spoke, then back up to him.

“It’s a mild sedative,” Dr. Morrison replied.

“You want to knock me out and take advantage of me again?”

“Now you know—,” Dr. Morrison started, angrily, then held his tongue and took a deep breath. “It’s to aid with the hypnosis.”

“How?” Hillary asked then faced Dr. Bentley. “Do I need to be sedated for it to work?”

“Not if you’re willing to cooperate on your own,” he responded.

“I am!” she said quickly, almost too eagerly.

“Then no,” Dr. Bentley answered, “it won’t be necessary.”

Dr. Bentley reached over and grabbed the syringe from Dr. Morrison’s fingers. He placed the syringe on the over-bed table next to him. Hillary let out a long, exaggerated sigh of relief.

“What are you talking about, of course it’s necessary,” Dr. Morrison stated abrasively.

“Not anymore,” Dr. Bentley explained, “Hillary’s willing to go through with it.”

“And you trust her? You know as well as I do that—”

“Stop it!” Dr. Bentley urged, his right hand raised, fingers parted expressively “This is not the place to discuss it.” He walked around the foot of the bed to where Dr. Morrison was standing and motioned for him to follow. The two doctors left the room. Hillary smiled, content in the knowledge that Dr. Bentley was on her side. She had an ally...someone who would protect her.

Dr. Bentley walked quietly to Dr. Morrison’s office, Dr. Morrison following a few steps behind. After Dr. Morrison entered, he closed the door to make sure that Hillary could not hear their conversation, however unlikely it was given the distance. Voices did carry, and sounds echoed in such a big, empty room.

“What are you thinking, Jake?” Patrick asked. He was clearly annoyed, if not outright angry.

“Hillary wants to be hypnotized…we don’t need to resort to sedating her.”

“Bullshit, she’s manipulating you Jake…she just doesn’t want to be sedated.”

“Who would want that? And you and I both know hypnosis works best with a cooperative patient. Otherwise, it’s just an interrogation.”

“It’ll work just as well if you sedate her first.”

“With all due respect, Patrick, I’m the psychiatrist. I know how these things work. Sedation prior to hypnosis is a last-resort method, and even then the results are dubious under the best of circumstances. I’ve already told you, I suspect Hillary has her memory back, or at least some of it. She remembers you telling her who she is when it was actually Monica who had that conversation with her the last time she awoke without the Neuronentin in her system.

We need her to be a conscious, active participant.”

“She’ll just lie, deceive you,” Dr. Morrison said cynically.

“You don’t think I’d know if she were trying to lie to me? You think I just walked in off the streets?”

“I think you had better sedate her if you want to hypnotize her.”

“I think there’s no need for that.”

“You’ll just be wasting time,” Dr. Morrison argued.

“Whose time? Hillary’s? Oh, I forgot, she’s got such a pressing schedule.”

“There’s no need to be crass, Jake, all I’m saying is that she’s manipulative.”

“Well, if for some reason I find that she’s been deceitful, I’ll resort to sedating her.”

“Like I said, wasting time...you should just sedate her in the first place.”

“We’ve discussed this, Patrick...it could alter her responses or render her unable to be hypnotized at all.
Then
it would be a waste of time, wouldn’t you say?”

“I disagree,” Dr. Morrison replied smugly.

“I’m not surprised...you were against me hypnotizing her in the first place.”

“If you have something to say, spit it out then,” Dr. Morrison said angrily.

“What is it that you don’t want revealed?”

“I knew it, back to that bullshit. Hypnotize the bitch, I hope she accuses you of doing things you didn’t do. Maybe then you’ll have a little empathy.”

“You know, aside from the obvious ethics breach and immorality, I don’t care what you did to her—I’m not married to you—and it’s not like I could report you anyway, so what difference does it make anyway whether she confirms it or denies it while hypnotized? I’m just interested in the project—that’s why I’m here—the only reason I’m here. And I won’t jeopardize the results of the hypnosis needlessly.”

Without waiting for a response, Dr. Bentley stormed out of the office and made his way back to Hillary’s room. After muttering a few choice words under his breath, Dr. Morrison followed him.

Wide-eyed, Hillary stared at Dr. Bentley as he entered the room.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” he said, assuaging her unspoken fears, “you’re not going to be sedated.”

“Oh, thank you!” she exclaimed, visibly relieved.

“But we’ll know if you try to fake it,” Dr. Morrison warned, prompting Dr. Bentley to shoot him a sharp, admonishing glance.

“Hillary wouldn’t do such a thing, would you Hillary?” Dr. Bentley asked.

“I wouldn’t even know how...and I really do want my memory back. How would it work if I tried to fake it?”

Dr. Morrison rolled his eyes scornfully. His gut told him that she was lying through her un-brushed teeth. He was sorry that he had decided to use her in his research project.

“It wouldn’t work, Hillary,” Dr. Bentley was saying as Dr. Morrison stared at Hillary in disgust. “That’s why it’s absolutely crucial that you cooperate fully and do as I say. You know I would never hurt you.”

“I know that,” Hillary replied, smiling. She already felt pacified by Dr. Bentley’s deep blue eyes and soothing voice.

“Well if you don’t mind,” Dr. Morrison interrupted, “I’m going to examine you now.”

Hillary had no choice but to oblige, though she was clearly not happy about it. Dr. Morrison walked around to where Dr. Bentley was standing and Dr. Bentley took a few steps back to give him some space. Dr. Morrison first listened to Hillary’s heart, using the stethoscope that hung around his neck. Hillary eyed him venomously, but did not resist or hinder his examination. He checked her blood pressure, took her temperature then placed each instrument back on the over-bed table where he had taken them from.

“Have you been experiencing any pain or discomfort anywhere?”

Hillary shook her head.

“I’m just going to press down on your abdomen lightly.”

“Do you have to?” she asked dryly.

“Yes,” Dr. Morrison answered and took a step closer to her. Normally he would pull back the sheet but he didn’t dare. It was nearly as bad having to guess where he should place his hands. Heaven forbid he should go too low.

Hillary let out a quick gasp as Dr. Morrison pushed down on her abdomen. The feel of his hands on her made her skin crawl.

“Does this hurt?” he asked, pressing down more firmly.

“No, but are you trying to make it hurt?” she asked bluntly. “Can you stop now?”

Dr. Morrison pulled his hands away from her and stepped back. He scribbled some notes in her chart, which had been kept on the rolling table since she started the antibiotics for her infection, then placed the pen in the pocket of his lab coat. He walked around to where Dr. Bentley was standing.

“She’s all yours,” he remarked sneeringly. Dr. Bentley turned on the recorder and set it down upon the table.

Hillary’s heart raced as she began to grow anxious. She didn’t know what to expect and she didn’t know if she’d be able to fool them. Dr. Morrison had warned her that they would know if she was faking it. What would they do to her if they caught her lying? She didn’t want to risk upsetting Dr. Bentley. He was her last hope, her only hope of escaping.

“What are you thinking?” Dr. Bentley asked, seeing the worried look on her face. “Are you nervous?”

Hillary nodded. “A little,” she confided.

“That’s perfectly normal. There’s nothing for you to worry about, though. It’s going to be fine. Do you have any questions before we get started?”

“How long will it take?”

“It depends...probably no more than an hour.”

“Will I be asleep?”

“No…just in a deep state of relaxation.”

“What if I can’t answer a question?”

“If you can’t answer something, you can’t answer it, that’s all. I’m not going to force you to say things you’re not comfortable discussing. This is going to be nice and easy, you’ll see. Do you have any other questions or concerns?”

Dr. Morrison walked around the head of the bed and took a seat on the stool at the far side of the room. Hillary didn’t even notice him move. She shook her head as she waited for Dr. Bentley to begin the hypnosis. She was still nervous, but felt better knowing that she wouldn’t be asleep like in those movies where someone dangled a pendulum and said “you are getting sleepy....”

“Okay,” Dr. Bentley said slowly and softly, “listen very carefully, and I’ll tell you what to expect. I want you to take a deep breath first then exhale slowly. Just relax, clear your mind. Don’t focus on anything, don’t worry about anything. Everything is going to be just fine. You know you can trust me. I’m here to help you. I’ll go nice and slow and make sure that you’re comfortable the whole time. You just need to listen to my voice and try your best to answer my questions. If there’s something you don’t know or can’t remember, you can just say, “I don’t know,” and I’ll move on, there’s no pressure whatsoever. So, just breathe slowly, take deep breaths...you can close your eyes if you want to, or leave them open, however you’re most comfortable....”

Hillary took another deep breath and closed her eyes momentarily. She didn’t know whether it was her lack of sleep from the night before or whether Dr. Bentley had already started hypnotizing her, but she felt lulled by his soporific voice. It took a great effort for her to open her eyes again. She yelled at herself in her mind, warning herself to stay focused, to stay alert...only
pretend
to be entranced.

Her glassy eyes were transfixed on Dr. Bentley. He could tell that she was responding to his voice, yet resisting it at the same time.

“It’s a beautiful summer day today,” he continued. “Outside, the sky is a beautiful baby blue color, with puffy white clouds floating above—you know—the ones you can stare up at and try to figure out what they look like....”

Hillary could see the sky in her mind, the puffy white clouds in differing shapes. Her eyelids grew heavy.

“The birds are singing. It’s a great day to have fun, to do something relaxing, maybe adventurous. There are people at the beach, having picnics, going on long strolls in the park, riding their bikes, roller-skating, swimming, hiking...what would you enjoy doing on such a lovely day, Hillary?”

Dr. Bentley could hear Hillary’s breathing grow deeper, heavier. She was fully relaxed, almost asleep.

Don’t let him fool you
, the voice in her head whispered,
snap out of it!
S
tay strong, stay alert.
...With her eyes slowly closing, she focused her attention on the voice in her head and thought of the best way to answer Dr. Bentley’s question.

“The woods,” Hillary responded sleepily, her voice barely audible. “I would go to the woods....”

“The woods are beautiful…it’s a great place to be on such a nice day,” Dr. Bentley agreed. He sounded content with her response. “What would you do while you’re there?”

After hesitating a moment, Hillary replied, “I would walk around, wander, explore. I like to find things in the woods.”

“Place yourself there now, Hillary. You’re in the woods, wandering slowly, exploring,” he melodically intoned, “Do you see anything interesting?”

Careful
, the voice whispered,
he’s trying to trick you
....

Hillary took a shallow breath and said, “I’m not sure...I think...I think...I don’t know.” She moved her head and squinted as if she was troubled by her lack of knowledge.

“It’s okay…no problem, Hillary...we’ll figure it out. Can I walk through the woods with you?” he asked suggestively.

Hillary’s initial reaction was to blurt out “yes,” as the thought greatly appealed to her. Yet, she caught herself in time to hold her tongue and ponder the seemingly “correct response.”

“I don’t think you should,” she said quietly. Her eyes remained close, her head resting sideways upon the pillow.

She looked like she was asleep.

“Why not?” Dr. Bentley asked softly.

“The woods can be scary,” she replied without thinking, regretting her response.

“How are they scary?” he probed.

Hillary thought a second and replied, “it’s lonely in the woods, dark sometimes.”

“Is there anything in the woods that can hurt me?”

Hillary wasn’t sure how to respond. Did he want her to talk about the creatures from her nightmares?

After a long pause, Dr. Bentley said, “Hillary? Did you hear my question? Is there anything in the woods that can hurt me?” His voice was still calm and rhythmical.

“Animals,” Hillary said nervously. She was breathing more rapidly now.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, Hillary,” Dr. Bentley said soothingly, picking up on her increasing anxiety. “Take a deep breath, relax.”